Making kings of pawns

Pro Kabaddi team owners on the appropriateness of taking kabaddi into the world of commercial sports

July 25, 2014 07:24 pm | Updated 07:24 pm IST

Asked their views on a seemingly low-market sport, four owners of Pro Kabaddi franchises are upbeat about its commercial viability:

Why a non-elite sport like kabaddi?

Rajesh Shah, owner, Patna Pirates: The population of ‘non elite’ people in India is much higher than that of the so called elite. They are the new market for everything. kabaddi is an Indian game. Almost all Indians across the country have played this game some time or the other in their lives. So everyone can relate to it. It also does not require any investments and so can be a good career option for anyone who can excel. You hear the word inclusive development often, how about saying this is an inclusive sport?

Srinivas Sreeramaneni, owner Telugu Titans: If you look at India and dissect it as per category of people and categorise sports as per the population….you will find the answer! We would like to associate with traditional Indian sport like kabaddi which is played by most Indians at some stage of their life and bring it into limelight so that it can also fight for its place amongst the elite sports.

Does sport need glamour to thrive?

Supratik Sen, CEO Unilazer Sports, Owner, U Mumba: Sports in all its glory is glamorous and people who support a larger cause support this as well. However kabaddi has a raw element attached to it which clearly stands out.

This movement will transform the game from mud to mat which may also give the game a more contemporary appeal.

With Star as our broadcast partner, can there be anything larger than being aired on National Prime Time TV?

The new uncharted zone in Indian sport is what needs to be explored and developed and that is precisely the direction in which we will be moving forward.

Karthi Marshan, Director, Insurekot Sports Pvt. Ltd., owner, Puneri Palatan:

We just started and it’s a challenging time. But what keeps us going is the passion for the sport. People need a sport that suits their own temperament.If we just leave ourselves with a handful of major sports it will be a major disservice to the country. I am sure this professional format of kabaddi will be accepted and gain popularity.

There are many reasons for promoting kabaddi. Essentially, it is an Indian sport, truly indigenous, with roots across the country. We realised cricket was very big, football and hockey had support, but kabaddi was one sport craving for attention.

Unless people watch, no sport would make an impact. If kabaddi is to become popular, it has to be watched and that is precisely what we have aimed for. It may not have appealed to the urban middle class, but I promise the coverage of the sport will appeal to the masses. We have scouted for the best technical back-up from all over the world and have set up a world class production team that has enough experience of capturing indoor sport.

The matches would be shot with 20 to 24 cameras and we have worked on the commentators too, have worked on how the players turn out — they should look smart. We have worked to make the players very professional, have invested by paying them attractively; the prize money is substantial. We are starting with eight teams but would like to see a 30-team league.

We want to make a social statement by backing kabaddi to become a hugely popular sport. It is a sport with genuine power, brawn and dynamism and genuine roots in India. It has a strong presence in Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu. It is a native game which can command a global appeal. If America and Australia can have their own baseball and football as a mass sport, I am sure kabaddi can become one. We need support for this very intense sport from all quarters because it can transform the life of a youngster.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.